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Updated: Jan 7, 2026
09:03
Analysis of Neural Crest Migration and Differentiation by Cross-species Transplantation
Published on: February 7, 2012
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A dual role for GLI3 signaling in neural crest development
Simon J Y Han1,2,3,4, Vinit Adani5, Edward Farrow1,2,3,4
1Division of Developmental Biology, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 3333 Burnet Avenue, Cincinnati, OH 452294, USA.
Development (Cambridge, England)
|December 29, 2025
Summary
The Hedgehog signaling pathway
Area of Science:
- Developmental biology
- Cell biology
- Molecular signaling
Background:
- Neural crest cells (NCCs) are crucial for development.
- Wnt, FGF, and BMP pathways are known regulators of NCCs.
- The Hedgehog (HH) signaling pathway's role in NCCs is understudied.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the role of the transcription factor GLI3 in neural crest cell development.
- To elucidate the specific functions of the HH pathway in NCCs.
Main Methods:
- Co-expression analysis of GLI3 with NCC markers in chick, mouse, and human embryonic stem cell-derived NCCs.
- Early knockdown of GLI3 to assess effects on NCC specification markers.
- Conditional knockout of Gli3 post-specification to evaluate cranial NCC differentiation.
Main Results:
- GLI3 and HH pathway members are co-expressed with NCC specification markers.
- Early GLI3 knockdown reduced key NCC specification markers.
- Gli3 knockout post-specification impaired cranial NCC differentiation into ectomesenchymal derivatives.
Conclusions:
- GLI3 plays dual temporal roles in NCC development.
- GLI3 is essential for early NCC specification.
- GLI3 is critical for later cranial NCC differentiation.
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